Elevator-truck.



S. C. CROPP.

ELEVATOR TRUCK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17,. 1914.

Llw I Patented May18,1915.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO., PHOTGJJTHO WASHING TON, D C

SOPHIA C. CROPP, OF ESCA'IAWPA, MISSISSIPPI.

ELEVATOR-TRUCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1915.

Application filed September 17, 1914. Serial No. 862,148.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SOPHIA G. GRoPP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Escatawpa, in the county of Jackson and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevator- Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to elevator trucks.

My object is to provide a device of this character suitable for easily and conveniently loading upon wagons, heavy packages such as large boxes of dry goods, bales of cotton, barrels of oil, vinegar, etc.

Another object is to provide a device of this character which will handle barrels of oil, molasses, vinegar, etc, so easily that they may be elevated upon it every time it is desired to draw their contents from them, either in large or small quantities, and may again be ended up on the floor,faucet up thereby preventing leakage or waste at the faucet, and dispensing with the necessity of a barrel stand.

Other objects will appear in the subjoined description.

The invention consists in certain novel parts and combinations as will be herein after pointed out and claimed.

An important feature of my truck is an auxiliary frame upon which the main frame is supported. This auxiliary frame has a flat bottom adapted to rest in flat engagement with the floor when the truck is used to form an elevated support for barrels or other packages, and is also provided with wheels adapted to be brought into engagement with the floor, for the device to roll upon when it is desired to use it as an ordinary truck.

Referring to the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device looking at it from the rear. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective of the right-hand floor sill of the auxiliary frame showing one of the hooks which serve to connect the front end of the auxiliary frame to the main frame. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of my device when used as an ordinary truck. Fig. 1 shows the device supporting an oil drum from which a portion of the oil is being drawn off into a can; and Fig. 5 shows a slightly modified form of angular standard for the auxiliary frame.

A, indicates the main frame of my device, and B, the auxiliary frame. The frame A has the right and left handle bars 1, held together by the cross plates 2, 8, and l, and the nose piece 5, which latter has two rearwardly extending parallel sections 5 which lie on top of the handle bars 1 to form wear-plates for the same. The cross plates 2, 3, and 4 are suitably curved downwardly to conform somewhat to the curvature of an ordinary barrel. The upper one 2, of these plates is broader than the others and has a rigid bolt 6; and mounted on this bolt on the under side of the plate is the chine hook 7 provided with a slot 7 into which said bolt is loosely received to adapt the chine hook to move back and forth to engage barrels of different lengths. At the extremity of its hooked end the chine hook is provided with a small, sharp inturned edge or hook 7 adapted to engage the projecting rim of a barrel close up against the head right at the croze. The auxiliary frame B of my device is formed of the two floor sills 8 and 9 connected together by the front and rear cross bars 10 and 11 respectively, the bar 10 being let into the top side of the two sills, and the bar 11 being let into their under side flush with the face thereof.

The axle 12 is secured at the rear end of the auxiliary frame on the top side thereof, and the wheels 13 are suitably mounted on this axle. These wheels are not of suflicient diameter to extend quite to the floor when the frame is in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The sills 8 and 9 at their rear ends are inclined upwardly and outwardly, and the wheels project rearwardly beyond these inclined ends. The two angular standards 14 are securely mounted on the floor sills in any preferred mannerone leg of each standard being at the forward end of a sill and the other leg near the rear end. At their upper ends these standards are suitably bent to receive and form bearings for the axle 15. The main frame A of the device is also provided with bearings 16 for this axle, these bearings being rigidly mounted on the under side of the handle bars 1. By the arrangement just described, the axle 16 forms a pivotal connection between the main frame and the auxiliary frame, whereby the auxiliary frame forms a support upon which the main frame can be rocked. The floor sills 8. and 9 of the auxiliary frame are provided at their forward ends with hooks 17 which are adapted to engage eye bolts 18 on the lower ends of the handle bars 1 of the main frame when said frames are brought into the relative position to each other indicated in Figs. 1 and 3: and when their hooks and eye bolts are clined downwardly and forwardly at an angle to form an end face parallel with the topof the main frame A. v

Near the outer ends of the handle bars 1,

I provide a leg19' bent as shown in Fig. 1,

and pivotally mounted at its ends in the bearings 20 secured to the under side of sa d bars 1. This leg isadapted to swing 1n 1ts bearings, and upon occasion to drop down into .the position shown in'Fig. 4, to form a support for the outer end of the ma n frame. When the swinging leg 19 Is not 1n use, it is supported by the chine hook as illustrated in Fig. 3.

. In operatiomwhen it is desired to use my device as an ordinary truck, the hooks 17 are hooked into the eye bolts 18 as shown 1n Figs. 1 and 8. When it is desired to use 1t for handling barrel goods, the nose of the truck is thrust under one end of the barrel,

and the chine hook is brought into engagement with the other end of the barrel to pull the barrel over onto the truck. When it is desired to use the device as a support for a barrel, to draw' ofi from the contents thereof, the hooks 17 are disengaged from the eyebolts; the nose iron 5 is placed under one end ofthe barrel and the other end is engaged by the chine hook; thenthe handle bars 1 are pulled down into an approximately horizontal position, and supported in that position by the swinging leg 19, as illustrated in Fig. 4:, the position of the axle 15 being such that the preponderance of the weight of the barrel will be slightly in favor of the inner end of the truck.

Having thus described my invention, what I .I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a device of the character described,

an auxiliary frame having a baseportion adapted to rest on the fioor in frictional en- .gagement therewith, and standards mounted upon said base portion between its ends; a main frame pivotally mounted on said standards at a point spaced from the end thereof a distance approximately equal to the height of said standards to adapt the front ends of the two frames to meet when swung toward each other to an angle approaching a right angle; means for securely connecting said ends together when they meet to cause the two frames to move together'as a single 2. In a device of the chara'cterdescribed, I

an auxiliary frame having a base portion with one side of said portion adapted to reston the floor in frictional engagement therewith, and upwardly extending standards mounted on said portion betweenlits ends; a mam frame plvotally mounted .on said standards to rock thereupon, and at a point to adapt the front ends of the two frames to meet when swung toward each other; means for securing said ends in engagement with each other when they meet, whereby to cause the two frames to move together as a single 1 frame"; andwheels mounted at the rear end of the auxiliary frame and projecting rearwardly beyond the end of the frame, whereby when the twoframes, after being united, are moved into position to bring the rear end of the auxiliary frame downwardly, said wheels-will be brought into engagement with the floor to support the weight of the truck.

3. In a device of the character described,

an auxiliary frame having a base portion with one side of said portion adapted to rest on the floor in frictional engagement therewith, and upwardly extending standards mounted on said portion between its ends,

a main frame pivotally mounted on said standards to rock thereupon andat a point 7 to adapt the front ends of the two frames to meet when swung toward eachother, said point being nearer tothe frontend of the main frame than to the rear end thereof; means for securing said front ends of the two frames together when they meet, whereby to cause the two frames when thus united to move together as a single frame; wheels T mounted at the rear end of the auxiliary frame normally out of engagement with the floor, and projecting rearwardly beyond the end of the frame, whereby when the two frames after being united are moved into the main frame being spaced from the front end thereof a distance approximately equal to the height of said standards to adapt the forward ends of said frames to meet when swung toward each other to an angle approaching a right angle; means at the meeting ends of said frames for interlocking said frames in engagement with each other to cause the two frames to move together as a unitary frame; and wheels at the rear end of the auxiliary frame adapted to engage the floor and support the forward end of the truck when the main frame is brought to a position approaching the horizontal; the auxiliary frame being adapted, when disengaged at the forward end from the main frame, to swing down into frictional engagement with the floor to form a rocking support for the main frame; said auxiliary frame being also adapted, when said frames are interlocked with each other, to come into frictional engagement with the floor when the main frame is brought to a position approaching the vertical, whereby to cause the auxiliary frame to form a supporting base for the truck when not in use, the wheels at the rear end of the auxiliary frame being arranged to swing out of engagement with the floor as said auxiliary frame is brought into frictional engagement therewith.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SOPHIA C. GROPP. Witnesses:

E. L. LEMAITRE, A. A. GREENOUGH.

Copies of thispatent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

